NOV 23

— International cable company Liberty Global and its Belgian subsidiary, Telenet to acquire Belgian publisher De Vijver Media (notified Oct. 3/deadline extended to Nov. 23 from Nov. 9 after the Belgian competition authority asked to take over the case)

DEC 5

— U.S. investment management firm Centerbridge Partners to acquire sole control over UK-based General Healthcare Group (GHG) through the indirect acquisition of shares and the amendment of governance arrangements of GHG, making Hospital Topco Limited the parent company of GHG (notified Oct. 29/deadline Dec. 5/simplified)

— German building materials company Knauf International to acquire Armstrong World Industries’ modular suspended ceilings business in the EMEA and APAC region (notified Oct. 17/deadline extended to Dec. 7 from Nov. 23 after commitments submitted)

DEC 11

— UK mobile telephony provider Vodafone to acquire U.S. Liberty Global’s telecommunications business in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Romania (notified Oct. 19/deadline Nov. 27/deadline extended to Dec. 11 after the German cartel office asked to review part of the deal)

— German chemicals company BASF SE and Solenis to combine their paper and water chemicals businesses, which will then be 49 percent owned by BASF and the rest by U.S. private equity investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) (notified Nov. 6/deadline Dec. 11)

— French fund Meridiam Transition and French state-owned investment fund Caisse des Depots et Consignations to acquire joint control of a holding company with a biofuel project and another in biomass (notified Nov. 8/deadline Dec. 13/simplified)

DEC 14

— U.S. global supplier of driveline, sealing and thermal-management products Dana Incorporated to acquire Oerlikon’s drive systems business through the acquisition of GrazianoFairfield AG, a provider of gear, drive and shifting solutions for mobile vehicles and industrial equipment (notified Nov. 9/deadline Dec. 14/simplified)

— European energy group MET Renewables to acquire joint control of Serbian wind farm project holder NIS Energowind together with the current shareholder, O Zone, a subsidiary of Serbian oil and energy company NIS (notified Nov. 9/deadline Dec. 14/simplified)

JAN 28

MAR 26

—- Tata Steel Limited and ThyssenKrupp AG to create a joint venture which will combine their European flat carbon steel businesses and the steel mill services business of the ThyssenKrupp (Germany’s Thyssenkrupp TKAG.DE and India’s Tata Steel TISC.NS to set up a steel joint venture (notified Sept. 25/deadline extended to March 26 from March 19 after the companies asked for more time)

DEADLINES:

The European Commission has 25 working days after a deal is filed for a first-stage review. It may extend that by 10 working days to 35 working days, to consider either a company’s proposed remedies or an EU member state’s request to handle the case. Most mergers win approval but occasionally the Commission opens a detailed second-stage investigation for up to 90 additional working days, which it may extend to 105 working days.

SIMPLIFIED:

Under the simplified procedure, the Commission announces the clearance of uncontroversial first-stage mergers without giving any reason for its decision. Cases may be reclassified as non-simplified - that is, ordinary first-stage reviews - until they are approved. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis)